


And The Inherited Will Lives On

by Tibki



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Major character death - Freeform, Not for the faint of heart, Pain, drabble from an imcomplete fic but this is postable, it's complete enough to stab you in the heart, maybe I'll post the rest if I ever get around to writing more, read with tissues handy, there goes half my readers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tibki/pseuds/Tibki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, Why No One Could Afford Sabo Coming To Marineford.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And The Inherited Will Lives On

The Marines had expected Whitebeard.

 

They had expected Whitebeard’s many, many allies—for all that the man was a seasoned, powerful criminal, even those who had sworn to see him dead or chained had to recognize his honor and charisma as a leader; they recognized him as a leader who would go to almost insane lengths for any one of his crew, and who would be backed wholeheartedly by the rest. So of _course_ they had expected the fifty different crews to arrive alongside the Moby Dick, the thousands upon thousands of men, the giant and the Devil Fruit Users.

 

If they were honest, some Marines had even expected Straw Hat Luffy; this was mostly just Garp, Coby, and Helmeppo, though. Oh, Sengoku was _warned_ that the brat might make a showing, but unfortunately for him, he hadn’t taken it seriously until a d@mn warship fell out of the sky.

 

Garp in particular had known that Luffy wouldn’t let his last big brother die without at least _trying_ to save him; the only surprise laid in the chaos he’d ignited in Impel Down doing it, as well as how smoothly the entire battlefield had surged around him in support once he arrived at Marineford, like water preternaturally flowing to the tip of a wave to keep a tiny boat aloft and safe.

 

The Marines had expected all of these reinforcements. They expected Whitebeard. They expected all his allies. They even expected Luffy, to some extent.

 

But no one—not one person—had expected the small schooner flying the bland burgundy triangle of the Revolution, or the whirlwind, wild-eyed fighter who’d thrown himself into the fray from it.

 

Ace and Luffy were going to _kill_ Sabo for this, once they all made it out of Marineford.

 

When Sabo pointed out the lack of sense in wanting to kill a person for _not_ being dead, Ace crisped a Marine who’d been about to stab his still-sobbing baby brother in the back, and _glowered_ at the blonde over a grin sharper and yet wider than anyone had seen on his face in years. And, seeing the conflicting emotions, Sabo and Luffy had laughed.

 

Their conversation, their motions, and even their fighting styles, with each at each other’s back… it was like nothing had changed. Like the last ten years hadn’t even happened. Not one of the three could remember a happier moment; not one of the on-looking warriors, pirate or marine, had ever seen such joy on a battlefield.

 

Ace’s joy, however, fell and withered up and died when Whitebeard gave his last order.

 

And, to his brothers’ worry but not surprise, Ace’s grin turned into something so very dark and ugly when Akainu opened his fat mouth.

 

-

 

Luffy’s body was numb where it wasn’t hurting like #ell, like his nerves had given up on relaying anything that wasn’t a signal to _stop this stop it right now_.

 

There was cotton in his ears and a layer of thin wool kept passing back and forth over his eyes, making things hazy again and again. His hands were in fists, and for some reason he couldn’t get them to unclench even a little. His fingers wouldn’t listen to him anymore.

 

He’d felt like this before. Back at Enies Lobby, right after facing Lucci, and on Thriller Bark, after taking Moriah down; it was an ache of exhaustion that was _more_ than exhaustion, a bone-deep molasses-like lethargy, a muscle-spasming rebellion of every cell in his body. It was death’s fingers creeping over him, clutching greedily and getting ready to whisk him away once and for all. If he let himself relax even the tiniest bit, he knew he’d collapse and, even if he survived, he wouldn’t get back up again for the rest of the fight.

 

But Luffy didn’t care.

 

Ace was _free_.

 

Sabo was _alive_.

 

He didn’t care about the adrenaline shots Iva-chan had been so sure would kill him. He didn’t care about the years he’d lost healing from the poison in Impel Down. He couldn’t care less about the way his body ached and complained, how his tired, aching, burned feet begged for him to just _stop_ instead of being pulled up and over ground with even more enthusiasm than usual.

 

He’d fought nonstop and he’d gotten _more_ than he could’ve ever asked. His brother was free, his other brother was _alive_ , they were **_whole again_** _._

 

Ace’s freedom made him giddy with relief. Combined with Sabo’s presence? After ten years of grief, of mourning, of a heart with a hole where a black top hat and a gap-toothed grin had once been?

 

Sabo’s added presence turned that giddy relief into an energizing pure lift of _elation_.

 

His body was begging to sleep for a month, but his healed heart and mind kept it going like it already had; joy was like summer lightning and their old campfires, filling his limbs and making him run faster, fight harder, smile wider, laugh louder than he had in a long, long time. That feeling spread to his brothers, who smiled and laughed in response, and the sight of them all so _happy_ and _together again_ made Luffy even happier.

 

…And then Akainu turned away from his brothers—and wasn’t it _just like_ Sabo, to just swear and fight at Ace’s side when he refused to run, because who else knew them like that, who else would watch over them?—and towards himself, and Luffy’s elation froze like Aokiji’s towering icebergs around them.

 

Because, filled with the energy of pure happiness at all three of them being _together_ , he was, for a few moments, just as fast as he could be at full health.

 

He was fast enough to see his big brothers react to Akainu’s change in direction. He was fast enough to _see_ their fear. He was fast enough to read the choice made in Ace’s grey eyes, in Sabo’s blue one.

 

He was fast enough to process his own fear, and make a decision of his own.

 

Ace dove, and Sabo lunged, but weakened, rubbery skin turned pink and steamy and Luffy didn’t even have time to shout out the words _jet bazooka!_ before he got his big brothers out of the way.

 

He didn’t have time to move after that either, and then there was

 

**_P A I N_ **

 

That wool was brought back over Luffy’s eyes, but this time—he could kinda tell, somehow—he didn’t think it would really go away this time.

 

The air smelled like a weird combination of burning rubber and burning meat. One made him choke and the other… huh. Weird. He’d never not been hungry at the smell of burning meat before.

 

Maybe it was because Akainu’s fist was taking up the space where his stomach used to be.

 

…yeah. That made sense.

 

The man was in front of him, scowling down at him, and Luffy looked up to see the lines of disgust and triumph written like words into the admiral’s face. Something sounded wet, and squelching, and the pain was so impossibly _worse_ for a second that the world around Luffy went white and black at the same time, and he thought he might’ve screamed. His ears roared and he felt more than saw the world tilt, and he had just enough time and energy to think _crap, I’m gonna fall, and then I won’t be able to get back up again_ before he tipped too far to recover.

 

But only the backs of his legs felt the cold and rough cobblestone. Not his back, not his shoulders, and his head didn’t clobber against it either. It still hurt though, on his legs. But they weren’t injured that bad, so why did they hurt too?

 

Maybe because his body was feeling so much hurt already, it was confusing just normal _cold_ _and rough_ with _hurt_ now.

 

…No. No, that didn’t make sense, because then _everything_ would feel like hurt, right? But the hands that were suddenly everywhere on his back and shoulders, keeping them off the harsh ground, didn’t feel like hurt at all. They felt like warm.

 

They felt like home.

 

Luffy fluttered his eyes open—when had he closed them?—and automatically smiled at the sight of black hair and blonde hair. It took a second for his ears to catch up with the rest of him, but then there was sound _everywhere_ , fading in like a broken den den.

 

There was a lot of screaming. He couldn’t make much out yet, but he couldn’t _not_ recognize his brothers’ voices among the screams. Why would Ace and Sabo be screaming?

 

Oh… yeah. He got hurt. His big brothers never liked it when he got hurt…

 

The arms around his shoulders were tight and clutching but they were keeping his back off the ground, so he was grateful. If the ground hurt his legs, he didn’t want to know what it’d feel like on his back. That was already hurting a lot, he didn’t want any more.

 

Finally, the sound was clear enough so that he could hear right, and the wool, though it didn’t leave, eased back enough so that he could see a little better. His smile faded when he saw how much paler Sabo was than usual, and the look in Ace’s grey eyes like he was shattering to pieces right above him.

 

They were still screaming, and now he could make out words.

 

“—fy! No! _No!_ You _idiot!_ Why’d you _do_ that?!” Ace’s voice was hoarse and cracking and sounded like what sandpaper felt like, rough and gritty. Sabo’s face looked like what breaking glass sounded like, fracturing and sharp. Weird. “Why’d you _do_ that?!”

 

Luffy blinked slowly, and that made the wool worse so he decided not to do that anymore. Besides, he wanted to see as much of his brothers as possible… while he could.

 

He was gonna die, wasn’t he?

 

…Oh well. Luffy spread another smile over his face.

 

“Hey, guys,” he said in a voice that he couldn’t make as loud as he usually liked to be. He liked to be loud; it made things fun. “I got… pretty far, didn’t I?”

 

Sabo choked, and Ace looked like that first and only time Luffy’s Gum-Gum Pistol had rebounded by accident and actually hit him. He’d kicked Luffy’s butt so hard for that one…

 

“Ni-shishishi!” Luffy managed, and he ignored the pain from his mangled chest at the heaves necessary for the laughter. He ignored the dribble of warm liquid coming out of his mouth too—it was probably drool, sometimes that happened, though usually there was meat somewhere around. “I made it _all_ the way up here, didn’t I?”

 

He could see Sabo’s throat move as he swallowed. He was so glad to see Sabo again. “Y-yeah,” his blonde brother replied. “Yeah, y-you did, Lu! I—I’m prou… we’re… _oh God_ …”

 

Luffy caught the word that was left unfinished, and his smile spread even wider. “Got stronger while you were gone, Sabo,” he choked out happily. “We both did, but didja see? I—” he coughed, and parts of Sabo and Ace’s chests and faces were spotted with red, “I can keep up now!”

 

“No,” Ace suddenly said, looking like he was seeing a cliff right in front of him that he couldn’t avoid falling right over, “no—no, no, Luffy, don’t— _please_ —”

 

“Ace,” Luffy managed.

 

“ _— **no** , _you can’t, you’re my baby brother, I-I _can’t lose you_ , you idiot, y-you can’t do this, y-you s-s-stupid _moron_ , we’re _finally all back together_ and _you_ —!”

 

“ _Ace_ ,” Luffy cut in, more serious than he’d ever felt before, and Ace stopped mid-sentence. Luffy didn’t like the look of the tears in his big brother’s eyes. “H-hey, Ace’s b-being a crybaby…”

 

Ace sniffled, and spread a hand over Luffy’s hair. It left something wet and sticky in its wake, but Luffy couldn’t feel his arms to try and get it out anymore. “Y-you’re the crybaby… little b-brother…”

 

“Watch out for Sabo,” Luffy said, and he felt Ace’s hand shake on his head. “An’ Sabo… watch out for Ace. Captain’s orders! You guys’re… my irreplaceable brothers! S-so take care of each other, okay?” He laughed again, this one wetter than the last from something filling his throat. “J…just like we said, way back… I don’t have any regrets…”

 

Another choke, from both of them. “B-but you’re not Pirate King yet,” Sabo said, almost begging as tears started trailing down his cheeks. “Y-you can’t… you’re not King yet! What about your hat?! Huh?! What about your d@mn promise?!”

 

And it was true. Sabo had a good point, but… “Shanks’d… understand. ’F I had to choose,” Luffy said, struggling with every breath now, “b’tween Pirate King… an’ my brothers… I wouldn’t even have to think on it.”

 

He somehow managed to blink and stared right into his brother’s faces, serious again as their tears fell. “Don’… cry. ‘M just… goin’ ahead…” He grinned brightly. “My nakama… got enough will ‘a their own. They’ll reach their dreams even… ‘thout me. I don’t doubt it… at all! An’ you guys…” Luffy tilted his head to the side, cradling it into Ace’s hand, and somewhere he realized he would never have the strength to lift it back up again. “Ace ‘n Sabo… ‘ll get my Will. All ‘a it. …Want my big brothers… t’ live… an’ be happy… an’ be _free_ …”

 

The last word was more of an exhale, as fleeting as the dream left unreached, ending as quickly and quietly the young life before them.

 

“M’ brothers… everyone…” Luffy’s eyes were sliding shut, his grin still sitting at home on his face. “Thanks… Cuz’a you… I wasn’t alone.”

 

And Monkey D. Luffy knew no more.

 

-=-=-=-

 

Neither one was sure how they ended up escaping Marineford.

 

Ace only came back to himself when he was back on the retreating Moby Dick. At some point he’d become almost entirely covered in the lifeblood of Marines, and he stunk of burnt flesh, but he had no memory of how that had happened.

 

(Marco would later tell him that he’d gone on a rampage and turned every Marine in a two hundred yard radius into a soupy mix of ash and blood. Skulls had _exploded_ in the heat wave he’d put out when the rubber body in his arms had finally stopped.)

 

Then Ace realized that some of that blood staining his skin and clothes, mixing invisibly with that of the Marines, was his only little brother’s.

 

Was _Luffy._

 

He barely made it to the side of the ship before throwing up his empty stomach. He heaved again and again, and again, until he collapsed in a heap, and fell unconscious.

 

Sabo had apparently stayed aware enough to bring Luffy’s limp, bloody body back to the Moby Dick. He’d apparently stayed capable enough to lay their precious baby brother out onto the deck, to use shaking fingers to cover the gaping hole in his torso with bloodied hat and limp hand, so that it looked like he was just sleeping, just dreaming another big fanciful dream and just smiling in his sleep, before collapsing himself.

 

Apparently he’d been crying the entire way there, and muttering to the still, cooling head that was tucked into his neck. Tears dripped into ebony hair and washed into some of the blood Ace had accidentally carded into it before. The salt water mixed with the ichor staining the strands and dripped out and down Luffy’s slack, smiling face. Down his nose and by his eyes, playing reddened tears that mocked his brothers’ grief.

 

He remembered none of it, and when he woke up again lying next to white sheets covering a small— _so small, always so tiny, their little baby brother—_ form, he screamed and screamed and _screamed_ until the rest of the recovering ship was awake too.

 

When Sabo’s screams woke Ace up, and he opened his eyes to a world where not only was his father gone, but also his only, sunny-smiling idiot little _Luffy_ …

 

They almost lost the whole d@mn ship, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a b!tch, sorry.
> 
> This is the first chapter and a half of one of my plot bunnies for One Piece, but the full story has never gone very far, and this seems workable as a stand-alone... if stand-alone pain is your thing.
> 
> I know it seems to end kinda fast. Mostly because there is more left, but it's all garbage at this point, but also because I wanted to leave readers with a sense of loss--something left behind, something empty, something cut off. I know. I'm a b!tch.
> 
> They do live on--Ace and Sabo literally inherit Luffy's Will to live on and live freely. Of course they're never the same afterwards, but they do live on; Sabo is there to help Ace, and Ace is there to help Sabo, and they manage. Barely. But they manage.
> 
> Sorry!


End file.
